Straight from the heart

Zucchini rolls with herbed goat cheese, chives and red peppers from Altitude Event Services. Photo by Steve Peterson, Special to The Denver Post
The fact that so many people are putting the brakes on discretionary spending did cause some anxious moments going into Project Angel Heart’s annual food and wine extravaganza. But in the end the high points outweighed the lows and A Taste for Life made more money than it did last year and a last-minute rush on tickets netted an additional 125 sales the day of the event.
Gloomy economics could have sent a committee headed by Christopher Leach into a tailspin, but everyone chose to forge ahead. Good thing, because when all was said and done, the evening’s proceeds stood at $75,000, a $10,000 increase over last year, and the goal of selling 500 tickets had been exceeded by 50.
The value of items donated for the benefit’s “reverse auction” was $50,000, an all-time high. Credit for this goes to Ann Butler, Brad High, Peter Kandell and Steve Winters, who obtained the travel packages, artwork, entertainment and indulgences that were up for bid.
Sponsorships were down slightly, and several of those who did sign on leveraged their donation in clever ways.BJ Dyer, a past president of the Project Angel Heart board, and his partner, Guenther Vogt, for example, recycled elements from previous decor projects so that their floral shop, Bouquets, could once again donate the decor that graced Exdo Event Center.
It would have taken someone with a very good memory to realize that the vases had made their debut at Western Fantasy or that the orchids, just a week or so before, had been part of the centerpieces at the Children’s Hospital Gala.
“What’s amazing is how willing people are to help,” Leach said. “Maybe they can’t give as much as they have in the past, but they contribute what they can. It’s great.”
Project Angel Heart prepares and delivers, at no cost to the recipient, nutritious meals to individuals with life-challenging illnesses throughout the metro area. An average of 71 new clients are added each month.
“While the diseases they live with — and the complicating issues such as mental illness, extreme poverty and secondary health conditions — differ broadly, they all have one thing in common: They have nowhere else to turn,” says Dr. Mark Thrun, president of the Project Angel Heart board. “People just out of the hospital or going through invasive treatments should not have to wonder where their next meal is coming from. No one should have to battle a life-threatening disease on an empty stomach.”
Project Angel Heart began in 1991 when a single pan of donated lasagne was served to 12 clients battling HIV/AIDS. This year, an estimated 400,000 meals will have been served to some 1,700 clients.
The nonprofit agency is particularly proud that 92 cents from every dollar donated goes directly to the preparation and delivery of meals.
Table captains did their part to bring people in. That group included Tim Gill and Scott Miller; Geoffrey Bateman; Daniel Brogan and Lannie Garrett; Ellis McFadden; Craig Ball and Ed DeGarmo; Dr. Mark Tamer; Greg Montoya and Randy Martin; Lee Rudofsky; Joyce and Gary Pashel; Jeff Giadone; Elaine and Arnold Tinter; Hollis Stacy and Dorothy Goes; Rosalie Goldman; and David Westman and Anthony Aragon.
Food and drink was courtesy of Altitude Event Services, Avenue Grill, Calcu Winery, Culinary School of the Rockies, Elway’s, The Espresso Affair, Fisher Clark Urban Delicatessen, Gateaux, Gelato d’Italia, Jax Fish House, Lifestyles Catering, Vina Penalolen, Project Angel Heart, and Wynkoop Brewing Company.

Pictures from A Taste for Life can be viewed at denverpost.com/seengallery

Denver Post Society Editor Joanne Davidson can be reached at 303-809-1314 or jdavidson@denverpost.com

Study after study has shown that when it comes to charitable fundraisers, Denver has more per capita than any comparably sized city in the nation. Joanne Davidson has been covering them for The Denver Post since 1985, coming here from her native California where she'd spent the previous seven years as San Francisco bureau chief for U.S. News & World Report magazine.